There could be lots of reasons why the blank room you’re currently in is your first living room. This could be your first place after college. You could be stretching your legs after years of living only in studios. Or you could even just be relishing having your very own living room after sharing one with a roommate or partner for years.
Whatever your reasons for having a pretty blank first living room doesn’t matter. What matters is tackling the essentials of a living room first, and then easing into your own style and look. But what constitutes a living room “essential”? We all define our living spaces differently (part of the beauty of living in a diverse world!) but there are a few basic items/ideas that you should try to incorporate first so that you and your guests can enjoy your new space as soon as possible.
A plan for how you’d like to use it Are you going to mainly watch TV? Read books? Entertain guests? Have board game parties? It seems obvious, but many folks don’t first take the time to decide how they’d actually like to use their living room. This decision will help determine furniture arrangements and décor choices.
Comfortable seating enough for you and for guests This is pretty essential, wouldn’t you say? A good sofa is a great place to start. So are a couple of side chairs. But don’t forget about ottomans. If you’re really on a budget and/or love making things yourself, the floor cushion is a fun, casual choice.
Storage This will be determined by that use we asked you to choose above. Have a lot/will be getting a lot of books? Invest in lots of bookcases, not a media center. Want to host movie nights? Have not only a place to display your TV but also to hide DVDs and other entertainment accessories. Board games require larger storage, so keep that in mind if you ever plan on expanding your collection!
A catch all for magazines, remotes, etc. Nothing’s worse than always having a messy living room and not understanding why. If you’re a “kick off the shoes” kind of person (and don’t have an entryway setup) consider storage (hidden or just organized) for shoes. Or if you’ve got a massive entertainment setup think about a way you can hide remotes but still access them easily. Always leaving your favorite home magazines lying around? Consider giving them a permanent place to live.
A good light (or two or three) No one ever has enough lights. This is almost a universal problem. If you’re lucky, you’ve got enough natural light during the day, but unless you’re keen on only using candlelight, you’ll need lamps.
What feels important to you Have you been dreaming about the rug you were going to lay down in your first apartment? Or have a painting that means a lot to you that you want to hang right away to get the décor started? If there’s something that’s essential to you, start with that and go from there!
What else? What are your first living room essentials? Think back to your first living room…what did you have in it? What did you desperately need? What did you think you needed but then didn't use? Let us know.
Images: Zen & Amisha's First Home and Steve Pomberg from Dana & Steve's Sunny Southern Craftsman
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Thanks for mentioning lamps/lighting. I'm amazed at the number of posts--professional and non-professional--that show absolutely no lamps in the photos.
Don't people READ and night?? ;-)
ok, I meant read AT night.
Thanks for posting this. I've lived in my "first living room" for almost three years now and it's barely lived in! I'm making a trip to IKEA this weekend with the sole intention of making it my new favorite place.
I need to have a place to put a drink down. Whether I'm reading, watching TV, or entertaining guests, I always want to have a convenient place to put down a drink. This means nearby surfaces associated to each seating option. And coasters are essential in my house.
Oh lordy. I lived for two whole years in my own apt with no sofa and I didn't feel like a real person until I got one. It's a crappy Ikea sofa but seriously, anything is better than that stupid bean bag bed thing my boyfriend tried to convince me was OK for seating. *facepalm*
I have one main room that is divided into a dining and living area. There is only 1 ceiling light which I plan using to drape a chandelier above the dining table.
Which leaves me with a dark living room...
I don't have space for a side table/table lamp. And I can't seem to find a reasonably priced, nice floor lamp.
my condo hasn't even closed yet (but i'm 99.999% there) and i bought a great sofa last weekend on sale (which is 100% returnable should said closing not happen)....
i knew i wanted somewhere to sit. i could deal with no tables. no run. and no tv...but to me- a sofa says you're home.
I agree--a sofa. I just moved from a tiny studio to an apartment with a real living room. The first thing I did was find a sofa. I was lucky enough to find the Best Sofa Ever (tm), and only then did I start thinking about the rest. I just really wanted a place to sit that wasn't my bed!
I would suggest thinking through how your furniture can be used differently in the years to come.
For instance, my first dining table and chairs moved into the dinette when I bought a new dining room, and are still in use. My mother bought adult furniture as my 'child' furniture. The suite had 12 pieces, including four chests, two with shelves. Those six pieces are now the 123" media wall.
The first furniture I bought, in college, a 25" high table with three stools, is still in use. The table is beside me now under a table cover, and the three stools are constantly in demand. I got it on sale because the fourth stool was lost, and I have since bought almost all my furniture either on sale or directly from the manufacturer.
I would suggest buying the best quality possible, and don't be afraid to use Ebay. It has fantastic finds of excellent, American made, solid wood furniture. (Henredon, Baker, Drexel Heritage, Ethan Allen) Don't buy any of that particle board crap. Some of it is made with formaldehyde, (no kidding), and it will fall apart, it's just a matter of time.
I'm with kd_muse - no seat should be without somewhere to set down a glass and a book. Otherwise you will not be comfortable sitting there. Period. $10 stools from Ikea or Target are fine. Buy a bunch. You can also use them as nightstands and extra seating now, and relegate them to plant stands and porch furniture when you decide to upgrade.
My husband and I have lived in our 2-bedroom apartment for a year and a half now. The living room has gone through a lot of changes, but the one I'm still waiting on is a REAL sofa. We only have a loveseat and a few side chairs. While there's plenty of room for us and possible guests, it still doesn't feel right. The loveseat isn't big enough for us to sit on together- so no cuddling while watching a movie or just hanging out together.
there are so many ideas for a first living room depending on needs. Living rooms must be done right!
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Ruben